A Seahawks player poised to benefit from new OC’s scheme

Jan 28, 2025, 3:24 PM | Updated: 3:49 pm

Seattle Sports

From a schematic perspective, the Seattle Seahawks’ rushing attack figures to look much different next season under new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak.

The Kubiak File: What insiders said about Seahawks’ new OC

Kubiak hails from the Gary Kubiak-Mike Shanahan coaching tree, which features a heavy dose of outside zone-run concepts. And that certainly was evident in Kubiak’s most recent stint as the New Orleans Saints’ OC this past season.

According to FTN Fantasy, the Saints ran outside zone on 34.7% of their rushing attempts, which was the second-highest rate in the league. For comparison, the Seahawks had just the 24th-highest outside-zone run rate at 14.1% this past season under former OC Ryan Grubb, who was let go earlier this month.

Which current Seahawks running back could benefit most from Kubiak’s outside-zone scheme? Former NFL quarterback Brock Huard was asked that question Tuesday on Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk.

“This scheme will benefit Ken Walker III,” Huard said. “This is a one-cut, explosive, dynamic (rushing scheme).”

With his speed, elusiveness and big-play ability, Walker ran for 1,050 yards as a rookie in 2022 and 905 yards in 2023. But the third-year back struggled with injuries this past season and rushed for just 573 yards in 11 games behind Seattle’s oft-criticized offensive line. Walker’s yards per carry have declined each year since he entered the league, dropping from 4.6 to 4.1 to 3.7.

Meanwhile, second-year back Zach Charbonnet took a step forward this past fall while rushing for 569 yards and 4.2 yards per carry – including 303 yards over the final five games.

But Huard still thinks Walker’s explosiveness gives him the best chance to excel in a wide-zone system, which puts backs in position to stretch the field horizontally and then burn opposing defenses on cutbacks.

Walker doesn’t have to look far to see an example of a talented running back who experienced a bounceback season in Kubiak’s scheme. After reaching the Pro Bowl in each of his first five seasons, Saints star running back Alvin Kamara missed out on the honor in 2022 and 2023. But he rebounded under Kubiak in 2024, rushing for a career-high 950 yards and 4.2 yards per carry.

“I think (it will help) all the (Seahawks’) backs,” Huard said. “But Ken Walker, I think, would be the most excited about this kind of scheme, because it would feature his skill set.”

Listen to the full conversation on Brock and Salk at this link or in the audio player near the middle of this story. Tune in to Brock and Salk weekdays from 6 to 10 a.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app.